Flocking apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for flocking an article including a head having a chamber for storing the flocking material. An opening is provided in the head and electrode means is received in the head for charging the material and for creating an electric field which causes the material to exit through the opening. Control means is also provided in the head for selectively varying the rate of flow of the flocking material to prevent excessive deposits of material on the article. A method of applying the flock in spaced patterns also is disclosed.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Arthur Shectman Huntington, N.Y. [21] Appl. No. 781,007 [22] Filed Dec. 4, 1968 [45] Patented June 29, 1971 [73] Assignee Perrua-Vel Industries, inc.

Amityville, N.Y.

[54] FLOCKING APPARATUS AND METHOD 4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 239/15, 239/563 [51] Int. Cl B05b 5/00, F 23d 1 1/28 [50] Field ofSearch 117/17, 17.5; 1 18/621; 239/15, 3, 562,563

[56] References Cited 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,186,226 6/19 16 Parker 239/563 X 3,086,711 4/1963 Point 239/563 X 3,463,120 8/1969 Wallis A. 239/15 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,177,044 8/1964 Germany 239/15 Primary ExaminerLloyd L. King Attorney-Yuter and Fields TO MlCRO- SWITCH 2 PATENTEUJUN29I97I SHEET 1 [IF 3 SWITCH gg l TO MICRO- FIG.2

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FLOCKING APPARATUS AND METHOD This invention relates generally to flocking apparatus and to a method of applying flocking material and, more particularly, pertains to apparatus and a method for supplying a controlled amount of flocking material to an article.

The demand for flocked articles (i.e., articles covered with fibre materials) is increasing at an extremely rapid rate. For example, flocking material is used extensively to flock walls and ceilings, not only to obtain a desired decorous effect by the use of various combinations of colors and textures, but also because the flocking material soundproofs, is waterproof. acts as an insulator and is highly durable. Another use of flocking materials include the covering of toys such as dolls and the like to produce finishes which can vary between a heavy finish for a plush toy'and a short finish to simulate a suede or velvet covering. Other purposes for which flocking material has been used includes producing novel decorative effects on greeting cards and the like, and covering automobile tops to produce a highly pleasing and aesthetically attrac tive result, to mention a few. However, the devices presently available to flock articles suffer from serious drawbacks which impose severe limitations on their use.

Tobe more specific, the flocking material initially applied to the article embeds itself in an adhesive coating on the article. However, the additional material supplied to the article is simply deposited on the initial coating. As a result, bare spots are left in the article which cannot be determined until the excess flock or flocking material is removed at the end of the flocking cycle. In order to fill in and cover these bare spots,

the operator must, for all intents and purposes, hand-finish the article. Accordingly, it is obvious that this method is extremely time-consuming and needlessly wasteful as well as being extremely costly. Additionally, so-called beaters presently are used to shake loose excess flock from the article by vibrating the article. In many applications, particularly where the article is fragile, the use of beaters is hazardous.

Accordingly, an object of the present-invention is to provide improved apparatus for flocking articles.

Another more specific object of this aspect of the present invention is the provision of flocking apparatus which is simpie to construct and easy to operate.

A further object and feature of the present invention resides in the novel details of construction which provide an apparatus of the type described wherein the rate of flow of flocking material to the article to be coated is selectively con trolled.

Another object of the present invention is to provision of extremely reliable flocking apparatus which substantially eliminates bare spots in the finished article.

Accordingly, an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a head having a chamber therein for receiving flocking material. An opening is provided in the head to provide an exit for the flocking material and electrode means within the head is positioned to produce an electric field which is oriented to cause the flocking material to pass through said opening. Lead means connects the electrode means to a source of potential. Control means is provided in said head between the chamber and the opening for controlling the rate of flow of the flocking material to eliminate the buildup of excessive flocking material on the article which would hide bare spots and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for applying flocking material to an article.

A more specific object of this aspect of the invention is to provide a simple and reliable method for applying flock or flocking material to an article. Accordingly, a method perspaced patterns and providing relative movement between the article and the source so that the spaces between the patterns are covered with the flocking material.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the slide assembly of the apparatus shown in FIG. ll, with portions broken away;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary detailed view, to an enlarged scale, of the slide assembly shown in FIG. 4-,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the use of the apparatus shown in FIGS. I-6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of modified embodiment of an apparatus constructed according to the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 8.

An apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention shown in FIGS. I7 and is designated generally by the reference numeral 10. The flocking apparatus It) includes a housing 12 referred to hereinafter as a head. The head 12 includes an upper section ll4 which is pivotally connected to a lower section 16 by a hinge 18. More particularly,'the upper section 14 includes a top wall 20 and depending sidewalls 22, 24, 26 and 28. The bottom section 16 includes a bottom wall 30 and upstanding sidewalls 32, 34, 36 and 38. The hinge I8 is connected between the walls 26 and 36. Additionally, the walls 22-28 and 3238 are sized and positioned so that the edges of the associated walls will engage each other to form an enclosed head. A latch designated generally by the reference numeral 40 is provided to maintain the head 12 in the closed position. i

To be more specific, the latch40 includes a link 42 which is pivotally connected to the wall 22 by a pivot pin 44. Provided on the wall 32 is an outwardly extending pin 46. An openended elongated slot 48 is provided in the link 42 and is positioned to receive the pin 46 when the link 42 is rotated about the pivot pin 44 to lock the upper section 14 and the lower section 16 together.

Received in the upper section 14, in engagement with the top wall 20 is an electrically conducting plate 48. As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom wall 30 comprises a screen of electrically conducting material. The plate 48 and the screen 30 are adapted to be connected to a power supply 49 by a coaxial cable 50. The coaxial cable 50 includes a shield portion 52 and a central conductor 54. The shield portion 52 is connected to the plate 48 and the central conductor 54 extends through the head 12 and is connected to the screen 30. As noted in detail below, the plate 48 and the screen 30 are adapted to produce an electric field which causes flocking material received within the head to move toward and exit through the screen 30.

Provided within the upper section 14 of the head 12 are spaced transverse partitions 56, 58 and 60. The partitions 56-60 extend between walls 24 and 28 and divide the upper section 14 into respective compartments 62, 64, 66 and 68. The flocking material is received in the compartments 62-68 so that when the head is inverted, as noted below, the material will be dispersed evenly over the head.

Control means 70 is provided to control the rate of flow of the flocking material. As shown in FIGS. 4--6, the control means 70 includes an upper plate 72 and a lower plate 73 which extend across the head 12 and are supported adjacent their peripheral edges by bars 75 which are connected to the walls 32--38 of the lower section 16 adjacent their respective upper edges. A screen 88 fabricated from an electrically nonconducting material such as nylon or the like is received between the plates 72 and 73 to provide a means for limiting flow of the flocking material. It is to be noted that the screen 88 may be changed to a differently sized screen to obtain dif ferent rates of flow of the flocking material. The plates 72 and 73 are sized to fit within the area defined by the walls 32-38. Spaced aligned elongated slots 78 are orthogonal with respect to the partitions 56-60. Connected to the undersurface of the plate 73 in spaced relation to the ends of the slots 78 are respective runners 80 which slidingly support a gate 82. The gate 82 comprises a plate which is provided with spaced elongated slots 84 in one-to-one correspondence with the slots 78. The slots 84 are substantially the same size as the slots 78 or completely out of registry therewith to close the slots 78. A slide handle 86 is provided which is connected to the gate 82 and which extends through an appropriate slot in the head 12 to provide a means for moving the gate 82.

As shown in FIG. 2, a handle 90 is provided on the top wall 20 to facilitate handling of the apparatus, Provided on the handle 90 is a pushbutton microswitch 92 which is connected to the power supply 49 by a lead 94. When the microswitch 92 is operated, a relay within the power supply 49 is closed to supply power to the head 12 via the coaxial cable 50.

In practice, the latch 40 is opened and the upper section 14 is pivoted about the hinge 18 so that the compartments 62- 68 are accessible. Thesecompartments are then filled with flocking material. The flocking material may comprise fibers of the desired length and diameter in accordance with the application of the material. As is conventional, the material is electrically conductive and may be treated with a salt bath prior to its insertion into the head 12. As an example, the flocking material may comprise nylon or the like. After the compartments have been filled with the flocking material, the head is closed and the latch 40 is similarly closed to maintain the sections 14 and 16 together. At this point the slide handle 86 may be moved so that the slots 84 and 78 are completely out of registry with each other to prevent the passage of any flocking material through the slots 78.

The article 96 (FIG. 7) which is to be coated with the flocking material is initially coated with an adhesive material 98. Additionally, the article 96 is connected to the power supply 49 by a lead 100. The article 96 and the plate 48 in the head 12 are connected to the same electrode of the power supply 49 while the screen comprising the bottom wall 30 of the head is connected to the other electrode of the power supply. In practice, the power supply comprises a DC power supply which produces an output potential of between 50 to I kilovolts. However, it is to be noted that this potential is for illustrative purposes only and is not to be interpreted as being a limitation of the present invention.

The operator 0 grasps the handle 90 on the head 12 and points the bottom wall 30 toward the article. When the operator is ready to apply the flocking material, he depresses the microswitch 92 to apply power to the plate 48 and the screen 30 which function as electrodes within the head 12, and to the article 96. Initially the flocking material is in the compartments 62-68 and is adjacent the plate 48. Accordingly, the flocking material will be charged with the same polarity as the plate 48. As the handle 86 is moved, the gate 82 begins to move relative to the plates 72 and 73 of the control means 70. Accordingly, the slots 84 will begin to move into registry with the slots 78 thereby permitting the flocking material to flow from the compartments to the screen 30 which is charged with an opposite polarity to that of the flocking material. Hence, the flocking material will accelerate toward the screen 30 and pass through the screen.

Since the screen 30 and the article 96 are connected to opposite electrodes of the power supply 49, an electric field will similarly be created between the screen 30 and the article 96. As the flocking material passes through the screen 30 it picks up a charge which is of the same polarity as the screen 30, in the conventional manner. Accordingly, the flocking material will now be attracted to the article 96 which is charged to an opposite polarity from that of the flocking material. The flocking material will orient itself so that the fibers are parallel to the lines of force of the electric field as the material travels toward the article 96. Hence, the ends of the flocking material will strike the article 96 and embed themselves in the adhesive coating 98.

The rate of flow of the flocking material is controlled by moving the handle 86 until the desired rate is obtained. To be more specific, the amount of flocking material which strikes the article 96 is noted by the operator 0. If the rate is excessive, the slide 86 is moved so that the slots 84 in the gate 82 are moved further out of registry with the associated slots 78 to decrease the effective opening of the slots 78. Hence, less flocking material will pass through the control means or control device 70. On the other hand, if the amount of flocking material striking the article 96 is too small, the slide 86 is moved so that the slots 34 are moved further into registry with the slots 78, thereby increasing the effective opening of the slots 78. It is to be noted that in the present embodiment the slots 84 may be moved between positions in which they are in full registry with the slots 78 or completely out of registry with the slots 78, thereby stopping the flow of flocking material.

Since the plates 72 and 73 are provided with elongated slots, the pattern produced on the article 86 will similarly be in the form of elongated slots 102. That is, as noted above, the flocking material will flow from the head 12 to the article 96 and embed itself in the adhesive 98. After the first layer of flocking material has been embedded in the adhesive 98, the additional material will simply attach itself to the first layer. This additional or excess material will then take on the same charge as the article 96. Since the article 96 is charged with a polarity which is opposite to that of the screen 30, the excess material will be attracted back to the screen 30 and accordingly will move from the article 96 to the screen 30. When this material reaches the screen 30 it will take on the same polarity of charge as the screen 30 and will thereupon move back to the plate 96. Thus, if the head 12 is maintained stationary a portion of the flocking material will embed itself in the article 96 and any additional material will travel back and forth between the article and the head 12. However, in accordance with the present invention, the head 12 is moved longitudinally with respect to the article 96 as indicated by the double arrow head 104. Thus, the excess flocking material will flow back to the head 12 in the manner noted above. However, before this material returns to the article 96 because it has gained an opposite charge from the screen 30, the head 12 will have been moved longitudinally. Thus, the excess material will now strike an area which has not been covered by flocking material and, accordingly, will embed itself in the adhesive coating 96. It will now be obvious that by regulating the flow of the flocking material in the manner noted above and by producing spaced patterns on the article, the entire area of the article may be covered thereby eliminating any bald spots. That is, since the excess material is picked up by the head 12 and is essentially moved to a new uncovered area of the article 96, no excess material can gather on the article which would tend to hide bare or bald spots.

Accordingly, an apparatus and a method for flocking an article has been disclosed wherein the rate of flow of the flocking material to the article is selectively controlled and which substantially eliminates the occurrence of bare spots in the finished article,

While the above described head is sufficient for coating small articles, it is desirable to provide a larger unit for flocking larger articles such as the top of a car and the like. Accordingly, a modified embodiment of flocking apparatus constructed according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 and is designated generally by the reference numeral 106. The apparatus 106 includes a gentry 108 having a rectangular upper frame 110 and depending legs 112 at each comer which terminate in wheels 114 to facilitate movement of the gantry. The apparatus further includes an elongated head 116 which is resiliently connected to the frame 110 by springs 118. The head 116 is similar in construction to the head 12. Accordingly, the head 116 includes sidewalls 120 and a bottom wall 122 which is fabricated from an electrically conductive screen. The top of the head 116 is provided with a cover portion 124 which is connected to the remainder of the head 116 by a hinge 126.

Provided along the longitudinal walls of the head 116 are electrically conductive members 128 which are adapted to be connected to the power supply in the same manner as the electrode 48 in the apparatus of FIGS. 17. Additionally, the screen 122 is adapted to be connected to the opposite elec trode of the power supply so that the members 128 and the screen 122 create an electric field within the head 116 which causes flocking material received therein to exit through the screen 122 in a manner similar to that described above with respect to the apparatus 10.

Similar to the apparatus 10, the head 116 is provided with a control device 130 which is adapted to control the rate of flow of flocking material. The control device 130 is similar in construction to the control means or control device 70 and includes stationary plates 132 between which are received a screen 133 which are provided with elongated slots 134 through which the flocking material is adapted to pass. Slidably received on the upper plate 132 is a gate 136 which includes elongated slots 138 which are adapted to be moved into and out of registry with the slots 134 to control the rate of flow of the flocking material in a manner similar to that described above in conjunction with the control device 70. Connected to the gate 136 are upstanding members 140 which are located adjacent the respective edges of the slots 138. When the gate 136 is moved the members 140 are adapted to prevent any packing of the flocking material about the slots 138.

Removably connected to the gate 136 is a handle 144 which extends beyond the wall 120 of the head 116. The handle 144 may be connected to the gate 136 by a nut and bolt so that it easily may be removed therefrom.

in operation, the cover 124 is opened and the flocking material is inserted into the head 116. Thereafter, the head is closed. It is to be understood, of course, that the gate 136 is moved to close the slots 134 in the plate 132. The gantry 108 is moved into position over the article to be flocked such as an automobile A, as shown in FIG. 8. The top of the automobile A is coated with the adhesive material and is connected to the same electrode of the power supply as in the members 128. The gate 136 then is adjusted to obtain the desired rate of flow of the flocking material and the flocking material is permitted to coat the top of the car A. Since the flocking material will be dispersed in the same pattern as the openings 34 (i.e., as elongated stripes), spaces will exist between the patterns. Accordingly, the head 116 may be moved in the directions indicated by double headed arrow 119 so that the flocking material covers the entire top of the automobile A. Additionally, it will be obvious that the operation of the head 116 is essentially the same as the operation of the head 12 in that the excess material will be picked up by the head 116 and returned to the unflocked areas of the automobile.

If it is desired to change the screen 133, the handle 144 is removed from the plate 136. Thereafter, the plate 136 is removed through the open top of the head 116 whereby the screen 133 may be replaced, it being understood that the dimensions of the gate 136 are smaller than the dimensions of the interior of the head.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious that numerous omissions, changes and additions may be made in such embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What l claim is:

1. Apparatus for flocking an article comprising a head, a chamber in said head for receiving flocking material, an opening in said head to provide an exit for the flocking material, electrode means in said head positioned to produce an electric field which is oriented to cause the flocking material to pass through said opening, lead means for connecting said electrode means to a source of potential, and control means in said head between said chamber and said opening for controlling the rate of flow of the flocking material, in which said control means includes a stationary plate extending across said head, a plurality of spaced elongated through slots in said stationary plate, a moveable plate in said head in superposed relationship to said stationary plate, a plurality of spaced elongated through slots in said movable plate in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of slots in said stationary plate, and moving means for moving said movable plate relative to said stationary plate to selectively move individual ones of said plurality of slots in said movable plate into and out of registry with respective ones of said plurality of slots in said stationary plate.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, in which said plurality of slots in said stationary and movable plates are sized and positioned to be moved into different degrees of registry between a first position wherein the slots in said stationary plate are in full re gistry with respective ones of the slots in said movable plate to obtain maximum flow of the flocking material and a second position wherein the slots in said movable plate are completely 5 out of registry with the slots in said stationary plate to prevent flow of the flocking material through said opening.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1, and a screen on said stationary plate for distributing the flocking material.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1, in which said movable plate is positioned adjacent said chamber, and a plurality of upstand- 

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, in which said plurality of slots in said stationary and movable plates are sized and positioned to be moved into different degrees of registry between a first position wherein the slots in said stationary plate are in full registry with respective ones of the slots in said movable plate to obtain maximum flow of the flocking material and a second position wherein the slots in said movable plate are completely out of registry with the slots in said stationary plate to prevent flow of the flocking material through said opening.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 1, and a screen on said stationary plate for distributing the flocking material.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 1, in which said movable plate is positioned adjacent said Chamber, and a plurality of upstanding partitions on said movable plate operable to prevent packing of the flocking material. 